Interrogation methods
by Melara Yuhi
Summary: Rated R for future chapters. Duo and Heero are on another mission together. The mission is a success, but duo is captured. Heero decides to let him find his own way out, but that decision turns out to be detrimental to the braided boy....
1. Captured

Mel: *evil grin*

Daichi: O.o Do I want to know?

Mel: Nothing…. I just have a reeeeeeeealy cool idea!

Tsuru: *blinks* And you're posting it?

Mel: Hai!

Naki: Eep! *dives under the desk*

Mel: *growls* it's not that odd…

Daichi: We're just surprised you're posting it instead of writing the idea then letting it rot on your desktop for the rest of it's life.

Mel": *sticks tongue out at Daichi* Well I'm posting it. And I'm going to have the next chapter up by the end of the week.

Tsuru: *laughs* I doubt it.

Mel: $20 says I do!

Tsuru: What's $20?

Mel: Uh…. $3 more than I have at the moment?

Tsuru: *sighs* Forget it.

Disclaimer: Weren't you paying attention? I have $17 at current. Now, don't you think that if I owned Gundam Wing I would have just a tiny bit more than that? Hmm? Come on now people. Use that thing resting on your neck for once. It's not just there to make noise.

Warning: None yet. For the most part, I tried to keep them in character, and there's no shounen ai in this chapter unless you want there to be some *grins*

Mel: now! on with the show!

Daichi: Show?

Mel: Fic! *grumbles* smart aleck…

Daichi: *grins* Why thank you!

Mel: O.O Tsuru's ruined him!

"Any problems?" Heero didn't even turn away from the computer he was hacking into as Duo ran into the room.

"Heh, that's just like you. Straight to business. No 'Hey Duo, how's the weather? Have any good war stories?' or even a 'Surprised to see your head's still attached––"

"Did you set the explosives?" Duo muttered an affirmative before shoving his hands into his pockets and peering out over Heero's shoulder. 

"Now, who's having trouble?" Heero growled as the computer flashed 'Access denied' once again. "Let me at it."

"Wait, Duo! What––" The braided boy smirked as he slung an arm around Heero and typed a password. "How did you––" Duo held up a small security card between his fingers.

"I picked up a little present for you on the way. Thought it might come in handy––"

"That wasn't part of the mission. No one's supposed to know we're here." Duo sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"You know, a 'thank you' every once and a while would be nice…" He pulled a small black disk from the computer after it had finished downloading. He reached into his jacket and exchanged his disk for a duplicate, then popped it into the computer. "I don't see why we have to kill the system if we're going to blow it up. Doesn't that seem a little––"

"This computer is connected to three other major bases. By spreading this virus through the system, we eliminate future missions for ourselves." Duo blinked after hearing Heero's miniature speech. He couldn't believe that the perfect soldier was taking the easy way out on something. "Let's go." 

"Huh? Oh, right." Duo slipped himself back into 'Shinigami mode', and followed Heero out of the room.

Heero was too far ahead. If someone were to notice them, they could easily be split up. Duo wanted to yell at him to slow down, but then he would give away their position. It would be best to push to catch up to him.

"Crap!" Something exploded as he turned a corner, blowing through the wall in the hallway. The bright light blinded Duo, and the blast threw him back into the wall behind him, knocking the wind out of him.

Black spots danced in front of his eyes as he tried to stand. He could feel warm blood dripping down the side of his face. Once he had finally gotten to his feet, he could see that soldiers had cornered him. Heero was on the other side of the debris. 

"Just go!" Duo shouted as Heero attempted to climb over the mess. "Damn it, Heero! Get out of here before they get you!"

"You have the disk. I can't leave without it." Duo reached into his jacket and threw the disk at Heero, right before the guards opened fire on him. They must have thought he was going for his gun. 

Heero caught the disk and quickly exchanged it for his own gun. He shot down eight soldiers before running, which was just enough to get the to stop firing at Duo.

"Let him go. We have one more than anyone else in the world. Don't push our luck." Duo sighed with relief, knowing that Heero would get out fine with the disk. Then he blacked out.

To be continued…

Mel: *blinks*

Tsuru: That's it?

Daichi: You're just going to leave it there?

Mel: With that cliff hanger? You're right. I'll write the rest right now.

All: *laugh*

Mel: I'm serious! Guys?

*everyone else has left*

Mel: *pouts*


	2. The interrogation

Disclaimer: see previous rant

Warnings: Very slight Duo torture in this chapter. It's hardly worthy of that word…. *sniff* Gomen! I'll make up for it in the next chapter!!!!

Mel: *beams*

Tsuru: …

Mel: *pokes Tsuru in the shoulder lightly* Well?

Tsuru: ….

Mel: Come on. Say it.

Tsuru: …

Mel: *grins* Say it!

Tsuru: *sighs* Alright. Fine. You did it.

Mel: *leans over Tsuru* Did what?

Tsuru: *growls* You finished the smeggin' chapter. Are you happy now?

Mel: Nope.

Tsuru: … 'nope'?

Mel: *holds out hand* Okane, onegai!

Tsuru: *grumbles* Right… the money…. *hands over what is owed*

Mel: *grins* Now, on with the chapter!!!!

"Oh God…" Duo slowly woke up, grateful that the room he was in had no lights. His head throbbed. He must have hit it harder than he thought. "Crap…" His hands were chained behind his back, and his legs had been folded back to meet them. He couldn't reach into his hair for a lock pick, and he couldn't break the metal like the perfect man-of-steel soldier. He was stuck until further notice.

The door clicked, then opened, shining a bright sliver of light into Duo's eyes. "You're going in for questioning. I suggest you don't do anything stupid."

'Great,' he thought. 'What does he expect me to do? Sprout wings and fly through the roof?' He laughed. 'He probably does…' Duo decided to be kind to the poor man and do as he was told…for the time being…

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

"Hello there. My name is Michael Yamakazi. Your stay here could be pleasant if you cooperate with me. It could also feel very much like you are in hell if you prove to be stubborn. The choice is yours." A man with tan skin straightened his coat as Duo was wheeled into the room, his hands and feet chained to the white table he was lying on. The man leaned over Duo as he pulled his hair back, as if he were evaluating his victim. "Alright. Let's get started. Shall we?" The two men who had wheeled Duo into the room grunted as they lifted the table onto its end, making his feet dangle from their confinement.

"Mr. Yamakazi, Sir?" A young girl that looked to be about 11 stuck her head into the room, looking quite uncomfortable. After a few moments of being ignored, the girl stepped fully into the room. She ran her hand through her short black hair before asking again. "Yamakazi-samma?"

"What is it, Arisa? I'm very busy right now." The girl visibly shrank and clutched a clipboard closer to her chest.

"I-I got the information you wanted…" She hesitantly stepped forward and held out the clipboard.

"Hmm?" Michael took the clipboard from the girl and looked it over. "Thank you Arisa. This is just what I wanted. You've been a very good girl." He reached down and ruffled the girls hair. "Now you go back down to my office and wait for me." Arisa nodded once and looked at Duo before leaving the room, giving him a look filled with sympathy. Duo didn't like where this was headed. "Now. I always give my subjects two choices. The first is that you tell me everything you know, then I let you off scott free. The second is much less pleasant. I ask you questions, then torture you until you give me an acceptable answer. Of course, that won't all happen today... So what is your choice?"

"I'll take whatever's behind door number 3." Duo shot a grin at his captor before looking into his eyes, challenging his authority.

"Really?" Yamakazi arched an eyebrow as he looked Duo over again. "And what would be behind that door?"

"It's simple. I feed you a load of crap, you beat the shit out of me, then I break out and blow this place to smithereens, killing you and everyone else—" Duo gasped as a white-knuckled fist slammed into his stomach and up under his ribs.

"You do whatever the hell you want to me and my men, we were trained to face death. But you leave my little Arisa out of this." The room was completely silent other than Duo's ragged breathing. Yamakazi stood in front of him, regaining his own composure. He very rarely lashed out like that, and the rest of the guards in the room were shocked.

"Y-you know…" Duo kept his head bent as he spoke, still trying to clear his vision. "Death is one of the most politically correct forces in the world. It doesn't care if you're rich, poor, a soldier, or a child. It claims whoever it wants." All eyes in the room landed on Duo as he paused to catch his breath. "And you know how I know?" Duo lifted his head and grinned evilly at his captors. "I'm Death."

Yamakazi rammed his fist into Duo again, then hit him along the side of his head, knocking him out. "I'm sorry. But I can't have you scaring my soldiers before they're finished training." He walked up to Duo's limp body and undid the clasps holding him to the upended table, letting him fall into his arms. "John! Come here and take this boy back to his cell. I'm going to teach Arisa how to fill out a request form for the truth serum. He obviously isn't going to talk otherwise.

The soldier that was called for looked up, startled. His two friends stifled a laugh as he hurried to follow through with his order.

"After practice. My room. We'll have some real fun tonight!" The soldier laughed as John nodded and hurried out of the room.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Heero sat at his laptop, looking over the information he and Duo had stolen. The mission was successful.

A small bleep from his computer brought his attention to an e-mail asking for a mis5sion report. His reply was short and to the point with no emotion, much like everything else he did.

Mission Successful

Pilot 02 Captured

Permission to retrieve?

Heero sent his reply and waited for an answer. When it arrived, he quietly stood up and walked into the bathroom to take a shower, leaving his laptop on and the message open. If anyone else had been in the apartment he and Duo shared, they would surely be curious as to the series of messages that led up to a single word…

Denied.

To be continued…

Tsuru: You're going to end it there?

Mel: *points at the line above* No baka. It says 'To be continued…' Of course I'm not done yet. I already have the idea for the next chapter typed up!

Tsuru: You mean you're going to do your own work from now on?

Mel: *sighs* Alright. I'll give her credit… *calls out* DAICHI!!!!!

Daichi: Hai?

Mel: Give those who deserve it credit.

Daichi: *looks at previous conversation* Oh… okay. Kat was nice enough to type up the first chapter for Mel because she left her notebook at her house.

Mel: *grins* Baka na!

Tsuru: Hai…

Daichi: She would also like to notify the public that she has read the rough draft for the next chapter and was horrified.

Mel: She doesn't like Duo torture…. ^_^()

Tsuru: :::sarcastically::: Really? I would never have guessed…

Mel: Shush! *grins* So, until tomorrow… or tonight if I can revamp the next chapter…

Tsuru: O.o Riiight. You mean to say that you're going to get out the next chapter in one day?

Mel: Or less.

Tsuru: I don't buy it.

Mel: $20 more says I can.

Tsuru: …

Mel: What? Are you afraid that you'll lose?

Tsuru: I DON'T LOSE!!!!

Mel: Yeah, yeah. So what will it be?

Tsuru: *grumbles* Fine.

Mel: *grins* Ja ne!


	3. Beyond torture

Mel: *grins*

Daichi: Mel? What have you done this time?

Tsuru: I know what she's done. Now what were you thinking?

Mel: Um…… *grin grows*

Daichi: What did she do then?

Tsuru: *covers Daichi's eyes* You're too young for this. Go work on some other fic.

Daichi: ?.? *leaves*

Tsuru: *sighs* Now, what do you have to say for yourself Mel?

Mel: Uh…. Oops?

Tsuru: "Oops?" neh? Well, what would you say if I let my sword slip into your—

Mel: That's quite alright Tsuru. You don't need to finish that thought.

Tsuru: …

Mel: I just have a little more Duo torture…

Tsuru: But it's… it's….

****

Warning: Rape? Yes. But this is the spark that made me write the story in the first place. What do you want me to do?

Tsuru: Keep your 'sparks' under lock and key where they won't hurt anyone.

Mel: *sighs* You have no sense of adventure…

Tsuru: And you have no sense of—

Disclaimer: ––dignaty . *blinks* Nani? Doing the disclaimer already? Fine. We own no anime, as of now. Are you happy? 

Lawyers: NO!

Mel: *sighs* I thought I had gotten rid of you too…..

Lawyers: ?.?

Mel: No cookies. Now shoo!

Lawyers: ?.? *are pushed out of the room*

Mel: *locks the door* There. *evil grin crosses face* Now we can begin….

Duo stirred slightly on the floor of his cell. The slight clink in the door had woken him up to a harsh reality. 'I guess they've come for another round,' he thought sadly, remembering the brutal questioning procedures that his captors used. He was sore all over, and was not in much of a mood to escape, even if he could.

"Alright, fine. But I get him next!"

"We need someone to watch the door. We don't want to get caught like last time…"

"I'll do it. I don't care much for guys anyway…" Three male voices floated into the room as the door was opened, then shut again.

"Wow…. He's beautiful…"

"And he's all mine."

"But, you said—"

"You'll get your turn." Duo groaned as he was flipped gently onto his back. Two sets of light blue eyes stared back at him.

"Violet! He's got violet eyes!"

"Heh, John? You don't know what you're missing. With his braid and large eyes, he might as well be a girl."

"I don't do guys. You do whatever floats your boat." One of the two men on top of him leaned down, and pressed his mouth against Duo's. His eyes widened in surprise. Then disgust. Then fear. He could taste alcohol in the man's mouth as he forced Duo's lips open, exploring a mouth that was not his.

"Mmph!" Duo struggled to break away, but the two men held his tired body down. He couldn't do anything.

"That's it Mito. Show 'em a good time." Duo felt the restraints being taken off of his legs, but that wasn't all that was taken off…

Duo began to struggle more furiously as his black jeans and boxers were pulled off of his body in one simple motion. The first man still hadn't detached himself from Duo's mouth, and the other reached out and stroked his member.

Adrenaline pumped through Duo's veins, but he still couldn't break away from the drunk bastards. The first man, Mito, began to unbutton Duo's shirt. The second wrapped his lips around Duo's shaft and ran his tongue in slow circles around the top. Muscles tightened in Duo's thighs and stomach as he became suddenly hard.

"Hey John, did you remember the lube?"

"Why the hell do you want to take the time to use that?"

"So he'll be ready for another round tomorrow." Duo kicked out as he felt a slim finger find it's way into his opening.

Mito finally let Duo's mouth free, and reached up to take a small tube from John. "He's full of spunk. I bet he tastes real sweet too."

"Of course he does. What else do you expect from a gundam pilot." Duo felt the urge to gag as two fingers stretched him gently, almost lovingly. He was being abused, and the damn bastards doing it couldn't even give him pain to hide in. They wanted to keep him for 'another round'. Duo shuddered at the thought.

"Hey, what do you say we make this worth his time." Fingers probed him as hands held his legs still. The man inside him brushed against something that sent shivers through his entire body. His throbbing member begged for release while Duo screamed at himself to do something. To stop them.

"Very responsive. Now where's the lube." The fingers disappeared for a moment. Duo would have sighed with relief if it weren't for the fact that he knew what was coming.

Another kiss planted firmly on his mouth as fingers pinched his nipples, making them grow hard as well.

A feeling of revulsion as the unknown guard's manhood pressed into Duo's anus.

"I'll give you a minute to adjust. You've probably never done this before, have you? Well, don't worry about that. We'll take care of everything." The man's voice was low, slurred, and dripping with lust.

Mito began to plant hot, wet kisses down his neck, his stomach, then back up again. His hands moved to the end of his braid, pulling the tie out. The fingers unwove the silky locks and dove in near Duo's head, as if determined to make the kiss deeper.

"Bastards" Duo hissed, right before his mouth was locked again. The throbbing member slid out of him slightly, then in. Then out slowly one last time before thrusting in. Duo's body jumped at the sensation, and he was forced back a little, scrapping his hands along the floor, making them bleed.

The mouth on his showed no mercy, forcing it's tongue deeper, exploring new and old territory alike, trying to tease Duo's into a dance of 'passion'. Duo refused. If anything, he wanted to keep as much of his pride as possible. He would never accept this.

Duo's vision went black and his back arched. White sparks flew across his eyes and his body twitched, even after the initial sensation was over.

A hand wrapped around Duo's own shaft and began to pump him in time with the thrusts into his body. The other pulled lightly on his sack. His body had become one mass of trembling nerves. He wished he could cry out from the overload of senses, but all he could get out was a slight moan into the mouth on his.

Mito laughed, sending more vibrations through Duo's head. His eyes widened again as that spot was hit, arching his back. He did scream this time, scaring Mito enough for him to back up.

A hot liquid spilled inside Duo and another scream joined his. The guard slowly pulled out of Duo, not giving him the release his body ached for.

"You know Caleb, his hands are getting all torn up. Why don't we un-cuff him?"

"We aren't allowed to do that. He has to stay restrained at all times."

"Well, could we at least put his hands in front of him? I feel sorry for the poor guy." Another wave of disgust. The man claimed to feel sorry for him after what they were doing?

"I don't see why not. Come on, do it quick. You get your turn, then I want to taste him…" Duo's hands were quickly un-cuffed, slipped in front of him, then chained together again. He didn't have enough time to think about moving while he still had a chance. It didn't help that his mind was still slow, and still being bombarded with his screaming nerves.

A new member slid inside, down to the hilt on the first thrust. He also hit the horrid spot that made Duo's body scream from sensory overload. A new mouth fit over his own, and a new tongue slid around, obviously less experienced than the first.

Duo noticed something about the guards mouth almost as soon as contact was made. There was no taste of alcohol. Nothing that would have spurred him to do this. Duo let a small sob escape his lips, only to be taken in by Caleb. Another moan sent vibrations through his head, and another thrust sent sparks dancing across his eyes.

Too much. It was too much. Duo forced his mind to come up with a way to escape. It was all he cared about now, leaving. He didn't care if he were dead or alive, he just wanted out of this damn cell, and away from these crazed bastards.

Something hard and cold brushed against his stomach. A gun. Duo reached for it, stretching his sore, torn fingers. Using all of his willpower to keep them steady, his fingers still twitched unnaturally with every thrust.

The hand wrapped around him again, still keeping another on his sack. Duo had his hands on the gun when the damn spot was hit, causing him to fumble it and run his hands into Caleb's exposed cock.

"He's finally ready to get in on some of the action…" Another scream, and more hot liquid poured into him.

"Hey, you guys. Keep it down over there. Do you want to get us caught? They'll kill us!"

"You do your job, we'll do ours." Duo's hands wrapped around the gun again, and he held on to it with his life. The now limp member belonging to Mito slid out. After a few moments, Duo had moved the gun in his hands so he could hold it. The shaft slid back in.

"No fair. One round each. That's what we agreed on!"

"You can taste him. Besides, you got him first." Duo screamed as he was hit again, but didn't let go of the gun. Instead, it went off in his hands, burying a bullet into Caleb's stomach.

Silence.

For a moment, no one moved, and no one said a thing. Then the silence was broken by the angry screams of Mito.

"He shot him! The fucking bastard fucking shot Caleb!" Mito turned to face Duo with his face pale, expecting the same thing would happen to him. He was wrong.

Duo flipped onto his side, making a soft suction noise as the body pulled out of him. The man at the door was dead with one shot to the head. Duo had left the other to suffer, slowly letting the life seep out of him.

"Wh-what are you going to do? K-kill me?" Mito's voice became high and strained on the last two words. These soldiers had been trained not to fear death, much like Duo had. But he was obviously afraid of what would happen to him if he weren't killed.

"Down." Duo's voice was barely above a whisper. His vocal cords had frozen some time during his torment, and he didn't expect to be able to speak at all.

"E-excuse me?" The man may not have heard Duo's command because of how quiet he was, but even if he had, his mind was working too slowly to process it.

"Take your pants off, and get down." Duo's voice had gotten no louder, but it carried so much anger that not to follow his orders would have been worse than death.

Mito did as he was told, and got down on his hands and knees. Duo put a shaky hand on the mans ass and shoved the gun up his anus. A small, quiet whimper was all that was heard before Duo pulled the trigger. He stood up slowly and listened to the two dying men on the ground near him.

Duo slid quietly out of his cell and continued down the hall, wearing nothing but his torn open shirt. He paused at the furnace room on his way our of the prison complex. A quick shot would blow the place sky high. He aimed his gun and fired, but didn't hit the body of the furnace. Instead, he hit the exhaust pipe, crimping it. The build up of gas would do just as well, and give Duo enough time to leave.

"Hey you! What do you think you're—" The guard stopped in mid sentence when Duo stopped right in front of him, his gun still in his hands, but pointed downward. "H-hey? Are you alright?" Duo didn't say anything, and his eyes showed an empty soul. The guard looked down at Duo's openness, and was shot in the head, almost instantly. Duo continued running, ignoring his loose hair that bounced around his shoulders and into his eyes.

At last he was outside. The explosion sounded behind him and destracted all of the soldiers that had been training in the dark. Duo pressed past them, not bothering to fire his gun. He knew it was useless. He headed to the edge of the complex and scaled the barbed wire fence, cutting his feet and hands as he did. He didn't care. His body didn't belong to him anymore, so it didn't matter what happened to it, or who saw it. It wasn't him, just a hollow shell to house his being.

A little girl clung to her father and cried as the fire surrounded them, licking her face and arms. Slowly killing her.

Three corpses turned to ash blew away in the wind.

A soul without a shell screamed for a reason.

And Duo ran.

He ran.

But he didn't know where…

To be continued…

Mel: *gins* Bring on the angst!

Tsuru: O.O No wonder Kat didn't like that….

Mel: *grins* she didn't read the new ending though… she only got as far as where Duo killed the bastards…

Tsuru: I can't believe you actually wrote this….

Mel: And posted it in the same night!!!! *grins* No what do you say…..

Tsuru: no.

Mel: ?.? I don't think that was it….

Tsuru: *sighs* Here…. *hands over the money*

Mel: *grins* okane okane okane okane okane OKANE!!!!!!!

Tsuru: Now go study.

Mel: Study? What's that?

Tsuru: *sighs*


	4. A recovered shell

Mel: *grins* Yay!

Tsuru: you're too happy…

Mel: It won't last long, promise!

Tsuru: *sighs*

Mel: Cue the disclaimer and the warning! I want to get this baby started!

Disclaimer: *looks around* Nope. Still don't own it. *checks in okane box* $8.05… don't think I'm making any money off of this…

Tsuru: O.o What happened to the $17 you had at the beginning? And what about the $40 you got from me?

Mel: Uh… I went shopping?

Daichi: She bought the first 5 episodes of Gundam Wing on DVD so she could watch it, then she got the Blind Target and the Ground Zero manga.

Mel: *grins* how about another DVD says I get the next chapter out before Sunday?

Tsuru: No.

Mel: *pouts*

Warning: Not nearly as much Duo torture as the last chapter. *pouts* But there is a little overlapping of view points. Be aware when you read.

Mel: *shoves Tsuru out of the way* Let me at it!!!! I wanna kill this plot!

Heero sat in his apartment in front of his laptop, eating cold sesame chicken over stale rice. He hadn't bothered to cook fresh food because Duo wasn't there. There was no point in filling the fridge with more leftovers when previous ones hadn't been eaten yet, and there was no one there to complain.

It had been 3 days since Duo was captured. He would normaly have gotten home by now.

Heero looked over at the clock in the lower left hand corner of the moniter. 3:15, exactly 4 minutes later than the last time he had looked. Sighing, Heero shut down his laptop and flopped down on his bed, stomach first. He reached under the bed and pulled out his true prized posetion, his sketchbook.

Opening it up to a fresh sheet, Heero began to move his pencil along the clean white paper, slowly forming an image that looked exactly like the room in front of him, except for the fact that he was sitting in the chair at the desk, looking out the window.

Heero always drew when he was bored. It helped to pass the time while waiting for the next mission, plus it gave him an opportunity to clear his mind.

The loud clap of gunfire snapped him out of his thoughts and he ran to the window. What he saw didn't surprise him nearly as much as it scared him.

"Duo?"

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Duo walked slowly through an empty neighborhood, down an unpaved road. He was still lacking proper clothes, and his bound hands still tightly held the gun he had stolen. Somewhere along the line, his rational mind kicked in and told him 2 things. The first, he had to stop running like a maniac and retain his strength if he wanted to get anywhere. The second, he needed to go back to Heero. He had no idea why, but it seemed like the most logical thing to do in his still numb mind.

After a day and a half of walking, Duo was finally at the edge of the town Heero and he had been staying in. Just two blocks away from… from what? He wasn't quite sure. What was he going to do when he got back? Take another mission? Most likely. He was a gundam pilot, after all. He should just go back to work like he always had.

People on the side of the road stared at Duo as he passed. A few women cried out in surprise, and one got the attention of. an officer. The man approached Duo with a scowl on his face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?" Duo looked just past the man and could see the building Heero and he were supposed to be staying in. "Hey! You!" The officer put a rough hand on each of his shoulders, making the boy jump.

The gun went off in his hands, sending a bullet flying into the sidewalk, shooting splinters of the pavement up to cut through the skin on his legs, and those of the surprised man in front of him. The back force of the shot also sent Duo off balance, knocking him to the ground. He laid there until the officer yanked him up onto his feet and reached down to take the gun from him. The boy's hands were too stiff to let go of the metal object in his grasp, even if he wanted to. After a few moments of trying to get away to the building, Duo pressed the gun into the gut of the man in front of him. The man stopped moving as Duo's numb fingers pulled the trigger again and again, only to emit the sound of the hammer hitting an empty cartridge. At this point, the officer had had enough. He pulled out his own gun and pressed it up to Duo's head.

"What the hell are you doing? Drop the gun right now!" Duo wasn't afraid of the gun pressed against his head. It had happened before. Besides, he was Death. He had nothing to worry about. "I said drop the gun!" Duo's fingers twitched as he tried to comply, but they wouldn't move. The officer finally reached down and wrenched it out of his stiff fingers himself. The action tore open most of the cuts on his hands, and cracked his dry skin around his knuckles. The blood surprised the guard, and he lowered his gun, still keeping a tight grip on Duo's shoulders. "What happened to you, kid?" Duo looked up over the man's shoulder and watched as someone darted out of the building and ran towards him.

"H-Heero….." The word was only formed by moving his lips while he exhaled. His vocal cords were still frozen and he couldn't speak properly.

"Hey, kid?" Duo felt suddenly tired, the effects of walking nonstop for a day and a half without food or water finally taking effect. His body went limp on him, making him fall to the side out of the officer's grip. Heero arrived just in time to keep him from slamming his head into the broken pavement. "Do you know this guy?"

"Yes. He's my friend." Heero was in shock at the state of Duo's pale body. His skin was cracked and bleeding in many places, and long red scratches and scars crisscrossed his white skin. His hands and feet were bloody messes, and his hair was loose, tangled and matted. The handcuffs were still clasped tightly around his wrists.

"Did… did he come from the complex that blew up the other day?" Heero looked up at the officer, unsure of what to say.

"….yes…." A smile creeped across the man's face as he reached down to undo the handcuffs.

"You two were responsible for the 'accident' at that place a few days before, weren't you?" Heero gently lifted Duo up in his arms, grunting softly. "I knew it. You two are heroes to this town. If there's anything I can do to help, just ask. We're all right behind you." Heero looked at the man blankly for a few moments before shaking his head.

"No. We were just leaving." Heero took Duo up to his room, receiving many odd stares from the people he passed as he went. He laid Duo down on his bed while he sent an e-mail to Dr. J.

02 pilot recovered

Identities discovered

Relocate?

While waiting for a reply, Heero filled the tub with warm water, then placed Duo in it gently. Letting him soak for a few minutes, Heero came back to find his reply.

Affirmative

Rendezvous with pilot 04 at the attached coordinates.

Heero quickly memorized the numbers before deleting the message. He then proceeded to cleanse the many wounds that covered Duo's body. While he worked, he noticed a sticky substance trailing down from his rear, down the inside of his thighs. He pushed the information aside to be brought up again when the time called for it. Right now, he needed to get Duo clothed, then get out of this town before they got into even more trouble. Maybe he could ask what happened when Duo woke up…

To be continued…

Mel: *grins* yet another chapter finished! I may complete this series by the end of the month!

Daichi: Question.

Mel: What is it Daichi-chan?

Daichi: What's up with Heero's sketchbook? I thought he was on his laptop 24/7.

Mel: Well, that's what most people like to think. But I have to admit, even I'm not on my computer that long. I like to do something for myself everyone and a while. I draw and write in notebooks. So I wanted to give Heero something to do.

Daichi: So you have him draw?

Mel: Hai. It could become important later….

Tsuru: Or she might just have mixed up her stories again…

Mel: *defensively* I did not! In Kioku Soshitsu he writes songs and draws and writes…. So why can't he draw in this one?

Tsuru: Forget I said anything…..

Mel: *grins* Too late for that! *continues to pester Tsuru*


	5. Hiding from the pain

Mel: Blah blah blah… the usual oshaberi babble here. I just feel like writing to get this over with.

Disclaimer: I. Own. Jack. Got it? Good. Moving on….

Warnings: Uh… Severe plot destruction? *shrugs* This isn't a very eventful chapter. But there is a little cursing for those of you with sensitive ears….

Mel: Then without further delay, on we go!

"…uo… Duo…" Duo felt weight on his shoulders as he slowly woke up. "Duo! Wake up!" The boys eyes slowly opened, despite the harsh light of the room. Every shred of logic in his brain told him to stay asleep, ignore whoever or whatever wanted him awake so badly. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore the persistent shaking of his body.

Duo tilted his head to either side, stretching the muscles in his neck. He continued to do this for the rest of his body, easing the stiffness in his joints. It did, however, irritate the many cuts and scrapes he had acquired. He winced slightly before opening his eyes fully, taking in his surroundings.

"Oh good. I didn't think you would wake up." Quatre was in front of him, a little higher than Duo. The battered boy strained his neck to look up. Heero was holding him in his arms, cold look firmly on his face as usual. "Do you think you can eat something, Duo?" Duo blinked once… twice…. And waited for the statement to sink in. His brain wasn't functioning as quickly as it should, and he couldn't understand what Quatre was saying.

"Go get him a glass of water. Make sure it's not too cold." Quatre nodded and walked out of Duo's line of vision. Duo looked above him at Heero with a questioning gaze. He still couldn't get his mind to take hold of the situation.

"We're going to stay in this apartment with Quatre for a few weeks. You blew our cover, so we need to lie low for a while."

"Now Heero. Don't blame this all on Duo. It wasn't entirely his fault." Quatre walked back up to Duo holding a large glass of water. He held it out, waiting for Duo to take it. The boy slowly wrapped both of his still shaking hands around the glass, and eased it towards his mouth. He noticed that Quatre hadn't let go of it, but didn't really care. He didn't think he would be able to hold it up anyway.

The water was cold and comforting. Duo gulped down the contents of the glass quickly without pausing for a breath, then he gasped for air when he had finished.

"Do you want some more?" Quatre gently took the glass from Duo as he nodded. "Alright. Heero? Why don't you set him down on the couch over there until he has enough strength to walk?" As Heero began to move, Duo became severely afraid that he was going to fall. He wrapped his arms as tightly as he could around his ride's neck, trying to keep from loosing his balance. He squinted his eyes shut as he was moved, not even wanting to look around him.

"You can let me breathe now." Duo slowly opened one eye, and noticed that he was safely on the couch. He grinned sheepishly as he removed his arms from Heero's neck and leaned back. The couch was soft and greatly appreciated. His entire body was sore for who knows how many reasons, and he had no idea how long it had been since he had a chance to sit on something cushioned.

"I got you a bigger glass." Duo greedily took the pitcher-sized glass from Quatre, and began to down that as well. About half way through, he began to cough violently, and Quatre took the glass from him. "I told you to slow down." As Duo coughed, he hugged his knees close to him, realizing how much he hurt all over. After he had gotten his breathing under control, he could feel his entire body burning from fatigue. His stomach felt like it was in knots, and his head hurt like hell. "Are you alright?"

Duo shook his head 'no' as the pain increased steadily. The burning was unbearable, and he couldn't understand why he felt so horrible.

"It's probably been a while since he's had something to eat." Heero held out a sandwich, and Duo took it carefully. His body hurt so badly, he didn't think he wanted to eat anything. "Eat it. It will help" Duo looked up at Heero, then took a small bite, then another, then another. After he had finished, he felt only a little better, but he still didn't feel like eating anything. He just wanted to go to sleep.

"Feeling any better?" Duo nodded sleepily and closed his eyes.

"Let him sleep. We can ask him when he wakes up…."

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Duo woke up with a gnawing pain in his stomach. He was _starving_. He needed something to eat _now_. Using almost all of his energy, Duo forced himself into a sitting position on the couch and slowly pushed himself up. Once on his feet, he had to put all of his weight on the arm of the couch to keep himself up. He carefully inched across the floor in the direction of the kitchen area of the small room.

"Duo! What are you doing? You could hurt yourself!" Duo would have been fine if no one had said anything, but as soon as he heard Quatre call his name, he turned around to see. He lost his balance and fell, hitting his head on the coffee table on the way down. "Duo?" Duo waved his hand to signify that he was still conscious, then he pulled himself up and back onto the couch. "Well, I'm glad you're not hurt. Now, what were you up for? Can I get you something?" Duo opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, simply air. "Hmm?" Quatre leaned closer so Duo could whisper into his ear. "Ahh! You're hungry! I can fix that!" Quatre walked out of sight, and soon returned with a small bowl of something steaming. "It's chili. One of my sisters taught me how to make it this way, so it has a lot of vegetables in it… I hope you don't mind." Duo didn't mind. As far as he cared, he could be eating dog shit. He just wanted something in his stomach so he could make the pain go away.

It probably wouldn't have killed him to eat a little slower, but he was too hungry to think about that. For this careless action, he was awarded with another coughing fit. A piece of celery had gone down the wrong hole (yes, there was celery in the chili, along with at least 5 other unidentifiable vegetables). Quatre gave him a sharp blow to the back to help him stop, and it worked (though it left a sharp stinging on his back for at least an hour).

"Duo, if you don't slow down, I'm going to feed it to you." This threat was enough to make Duo slow down a little. He had lost enough of his dignity in the last few days. He intended to keep what little pride he had.

"Are you finished?" Heero reached down to take the bowl away before Duo could attack it with his tongue. "I'll take that as a yes." Duo glared at Heero as he watched the bowl drop into the sink to be washed out.

"So Duo, what exactly happened to you?" Duo shook his head and rubbed his throat. For the first time, he was glad he couldn't talk. He didn't even want to think about what had happened to him. He would be perfectly happy if he could just forget about it and move on.

"You haven't even tried to talk yet. Don't try to avoid this conversation." Duo looked down at his hands, noticing for the first time that he didn't still have his handcuffs on, and that he had been clothed and washed. He looked up at Quatre and brought his hands up in front of his face, keeping his wrists together, then he pulled them apart quickly and pulled at his shirt, trying to get his question across. When Quatre gave him a puzzled look, he repeated the action.

"What? I don't understand…"

"He wants to know who took the handcuffs off and dressed him." Duo nodded and looked at Heero, before his jaw dropped. "Yes. I did it. And I washed your hair too. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to get you on the shuttle to get out here. We had enough trouble with you unconscious as it was." Quatre looked up at Heero, then back at Duo.

"He didn't have clothes on?"

"He was walking through the middle of town in broad daylight wearing nothing but a pair of handcuffs and holding a gun in his hand. Frankly, he looked like he had just been through hell." Duo nodded slightly as he remembered flashes of what had happened, then shook the thoughts out of his mind. The further away from the memories he was, the better it would be.

"Duo?" Duo shook his head and put a hand over Quatre's mouth, then glared at Heero before removing his hand. "That's alright. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Why don't you come with me and we'll re-bandage your wounds before I show you your room." Duo nodded and leaned on Quatre in order to stand up. He still didn't have enough strength to walk on his own, but he didn't need to put _all_ of his weight on Quatre. This was definitely going to take some getting used to…

To be continued….

Mel: Ok. To tell you guys the truth, I have no idea where I'm taking the story now. I've already used the original spark, and now I'm lost. If anyone wants to offer a suggestion, I'm open

Tsuru: ~_~ Zzzzzz

Mel: . As you can see, my muse is a useless piece of shit…

Tsuru: Zzzzzz……


	6. A Gently Prying Hand

Mel: Alright, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, because all of you have pretty much agreed on a spark for me…

Reviewer mob: 1x2! 1x2! 1x2!

Tiny minority of reviewers: 5x2?

Reviewer mob: GrrRRRRR! *attack tiny minority*

Tiny minority: *battered and bruised* 1x2….. x.x

Reviewer mob: *glare at Mel*

Mel: *grins nervously* uh… 1x2?

Reviewer mob: *nod, then leave so Mel can write the story*

Mel: Phwhew. I didn't think I was going to get out of that so easily…

Lawyers: *look hopefully at Mel*

Mel: *sighs* Ok, ok… you can have this. *tosses lawyers a plastic bag*

Lawyers: ?.?

Mel: It's candy.

Lawyers: *dive into bag*

Mel: From two Halloweens ago.

Lawyers: *spit candy out*

Mel: Hey! Don't blame me! It's not my fault my parents hide the candy. My brother and I just found it last weekend.

Lawyer 1: Why do your parents hide the candy?

Mel: ^_^() Well, I'm hypoglycemic, so if I have too much sugar at once, my blood sugar plunges. Then I start feeling like poor Duo who hasn't eaten in days.

Lawyer 2: If I wanted to know that, I would have become a physician.

Lawyers: *leave*

Mel: Wow… no disclaimer needed? *grins* I'm starting to like my lawyers! Let's see how much more I can get away with

Disclaimer: There is nothing to disclaim. *grins* because I own ALL ANIME!!! MWA HA HA HA!!!!!

Lawyers: *are kicked into Mel's room through the door* (itai….) Fix that.

Mel: ^_^()

Disclaimer: I disclaim that last disclaimer, it's not mine.

Lawyer 1: *shrugs* good enough for me. Let's go bug Blue Blaze, she has cookies. *leaves*

Remaining lawyers: *look out door*

Lawyer 1: *runs in screaming* NOT THE DOGS!!! NOT THE DOGS!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!

Mel: O.O

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, just a few DVD with episodes on them.

Lawyers: Thank you. *sprint out of room*

Mel: oi…… *rubs temples*

Warnings: You asked for it, 1x2. Here it comes…

Heero moved his hand quickly across the paper. The side of his hand had turned silver from rubbing it over the graphite drawing. He couldn't forget how Duo looked when he saw him. The image gnawed at his mind, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else. He finally finished his sketch, and tore it out of his book.

The picture was done very well, and showed not only what was really there, but also what Duo had made him feel. The boy's eyes were covered in a dark shadow, his mouth was slightly open, lips chapped and bleeding. He had a small shred of something that looked like it once belonged to his white shirt dangling around his arm. The gun was being held in both hands, not quite covering his privates. Heero couldn't stand looking at the picture, and quickly crumbled it up and threw it into the trash can. It was the only piece of paper that hadn't been shredded first. For some reason, Heero couldn't bring himself to completely destroy any of his works, no matter how much they disturbed him.

"The curse of an artist," he muttered to himself. Deciding that he had spent enough time drawing for the moment, he slid his sketch book and pencils under the bed, a temporary hiding place while he looked for a better one. After concealing the evidence, he left to wash the graphite off his hands. He didn't expect to run into anyone on the way there.

Duo's eyes widened as Heero stepped out of his room right in front of him. He quickly reached out to put his hand on the wall, trying to keep his balance. It didn't work. He fell forward against Heero, and nearly knocked him over as well.

"What are you doing up?" Duo carefully stood up, gripping Heero's arm until he was sure he could stand up on his own, and then looked around. Slowly, he turned his head to either side, ending facing Heero again, and gave him a questioning look, pointing at himself. "Of course you, baka. What are you doing?" Duo smiled and pointed at the bathroom behind Heero, then held up his very messily braided hair. Heero nodded. "Let me know if you need any help." Duo rolled his eyes and passed by Heero, as if to say, 'You'd only mess it up!' Though he closed the door behind him, Heero lingered by the bathroom. He wanted to be sure the braided baka didn't do anything he might regret.

Duo stared at his reflection in the mirror. His normally pale skin was almost white, and his violet eyes looked dull and empty, void of the spirit that everyone knew him for so well. He looked like a demon. Duo reached for a washcloth and ran the water in the sink until it was hot, then rubbed his face carefully with the dampened cloth. It felt good to have that warmth pressed around him; it was comforting and helped him clear his head. After he had finished, he put the cloth to the side and smiled at his reflection. It looked much better. His face had some more color to it, and his smile looked genuine, but his eyes still seemed to be lying to the world. Duo pushed the thought out of his mind and continued with what he had come there to do.

He reached into the drawer under the sink and pulled out his brush. Then he took out his hair tie and shook his head, letting his tangled locks cascade over his shoulders. _'At least my hair's clean,'_ he thought as he began to brush the ends of the mass of brown hair. After he had untangled his hair as much as he thought possible, he reached up over his head to start to braid it. He was greeted by white sparks invading his vision, and a sudden piercing pain that coursed through his upper body. His knees gave way under him and he fell to the floor. His mind only vaguely registered the pain when his head smacked against the wall behind him, and then again into the cold linoleum floor. Duo felt numb. That was the only way to describe it. It was as if his brain had become overwhelmed with the sudden pain and had shut down just so it wouldn't have to deal with any of it. He noticed a sudden darkening of his vision, and wondered if he was about to pass out.

"Duo? Duo!" Heero knelt down next to Duo's limp body and gently rolled him over onto his back. The boy was breathing, and his eyes were open. Heero sighed in relief, assured that he was conscious. "Are you alright?"

Duo furrowed his eyebrows, trying to see what was in front of him. He could make out a dark mesh above him, but he didn't want to try to move to reach out to it. The dark patch moved slightly, and he felt a sharp pain lancing through his left shoulder. He gasped as the fire coursed through his arm, and began to breathe harder. It felt as if no matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to fill his lungs. He was becoming dizzy, and what little bit of his vision he had regained was now slipping away from him.

Heero quickly removed his hand from Duo's shoulder. The boy was still gasping for air, and Heero didn't know what to do to make him calm down.  Finally his mind told him to go get help, and he prepared to leave the room to find Quatre.

Duo watched as the dark shadow above him began to move away. He panicked and reached out with his arm, hoping to get a hold of the figure. His fingers wrapped themselves around something soft, and the figure stopped moving. Duo closed his eyes as he waited for the pain to pass, satisfied that he would be able to see the person when it was over.

A hand reached up and grabbed Heero's arm, keeping him from moving anywhere. Duo's white-knuckled, shaking hand was clenched hard enough to bruise Heero's arm, but the braided boy had begun to breathe normally, and that alone was worth all the pain in the world.

Duo slowly opened his eyes again; the pain was over for now. He smiled as he saw Heero above him and tried to sit up.

"Ugh" As Duo pushed himself up, he pulled Heero down on top of him. The American grinned sheepishly and let go of Heero's arm, allowing him to sit on the floor next to Duo. "Are you alright now?" Duo gave a small nod, and propped himself up against the wall behind him. "What happened?" Duo again grinned sheepishly and rubbed his shoulders, then pointed to his once again messy hair.

"You were trying to brush your hair?" Duo gently shook his head and wove his fingers together, then held them up to Heero's face. "Braid?" Duo nodded and closed his eyes. "Do you… want help?" The mute boy gave Heero an incredulous look.

_'As if he knows how to braid hair.__ Hah!' Even though thoughts of disbelief were running through his mind, he wanted his hair braided and out of his face, so he handed the brush to Heero. _

"You'll have to move if you want me to be able to reach the back of your head." Duo sighed and lifted his still aching body off of the floor, and sat down on the toilet.

_'He'd better know what he's doing…' Heero ran the brush through the thick locks gently, pulling hard enough to untangle the hair, but not hard enough to pull on the scalp. After the hair was straight, he carefully separated it into three equal sections and crossed the right section over the center and caught the center one with his pinky, pulling it to the right, then he did the same thing with the left strand. His hands moved slowly from lack of experience, but his work was nearly flawless. Not a single hair escaped the woven tress as he worked. When he finally reached the bottom, he didn't have a hair tie to secure the braid with._

"Where do you keep your hair ties?" Duo turned his upper body around, wincing as he did, and pulled a black band off of the end of the brush, then took his hair from Heero's hand and secured it with the elastic band. After he had finished, he stood up and looked at his hair in the mirror. His hair was exactly as it should be. His eyes widened in surprise and he turned around. 'Where the hell did he learn to do that?'

"There. Now, go get something to eat." Duo tried desperately to get his question across, wrapping his braid around his hand, staring at it, and then pointing to Heero. But the Japanese boy purposely ignored him and returned to his room.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Heero pressed his back against the door and took a few deep breaths, trying his hardest to subdue his erection. _'It's a miracle Duo didn't notice…' He walked over to his bed and sat down. Then he hit his head against the wall… repeatedly. "Stupid. Baka. Idiot. Moron. Can't. Believe. You got. Aroused. From braiding. Hair." Every word brought his head crashing against the wall again. Finally realizing that what he was doing would definitely attract attention, he flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. __'Not the most productive thing I could be doing,' but Heero wasn't feeling up to much more that that at the moment. He was too busy berating himself for acting like __that around Duo. He was in bad enough shape as it was. __'Alright, time to get some work done.' Though Heero's mind was telling him to get up and get to work, he was too busy thinking about how scared he had been just a few moments before, and how stupid he was for how he had reacted afterwards._

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Quatre stared at Heero's closed door, wondering just what his friend was doing behind it. Weighing the possibilities, he figured that it probably wasn't as important as what Quatre needed to talk about, so he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Heero?" The Japanese boy lay sprawled out on the bed, his legs hanging off the side. He sat up quickly and glared at the blond.

"You could have knocked."

"I... forgot." Quatre turned his head slightly to the side, not wanting to look Heero directly in the eyes. This conversation had certainly not started out as well as it could have.

"…" Heero ran his hand through his hair once, then stood up. "What did you want?" Quatre looked down at the floor, again averting the Prussian blue eyes.

"We have to talk… It's about Duo…" Quatre risked a glance upward to see Heero's reaction the boy simply stared at him with uncaring eyes, waiting for him to continue. The blond shivered involuntarily before he spoke again. "Do you think he's… he'll be able to pilot?"

"He won't have to for two weeks at the very least. He should be healed up by then."

"Yes, but…"

"You mean mentally?" Quatre winced. That was exactly what he was getting at, though it pained him to think that way about his friend. "He seems to be as stable as he's always been, aside from the fact that he refuses to speak."

"I spoke with Trowa and Wufei last night…"

"And?" Heero arched an eyebrow and waited for Quatre to get to the point.

"They feel that he should be suspended from all missions until he… recovers…." Heero took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Quatre could sense his anger, though he felt that even the most unobservant people could feel the rage radiating throughout the room.

"And you?" Quatre bit his lip, knowing that what he was about to say would only make things worse.

"I agree with them." Quatre was sure that Heero would have hit him for taking such a side. He was very surprised when he nodded.

"You're right. But as I said, there won't be anything to worry about. He will have fully recovered by the time we're given missions again." Quatre closed his eyes and gave Heero the best smile he could muster.

"Of course. Duo always bounces back. Anyway, I have to leave for a meeting. I'm going to be gone for about 5 hours, so you and Duo are going to have to manage dinner on your own. If anything goes wrong, call Wufei. He's stationed in the area. I left the number near the phone." Heero nodded and watched as Quatre left, closing the door behind him. Heero slumped back against the bed again and closed his eyes, thinking.

To be continued….

Mel: We hope!

Tsuru: No, readers hope. We doubt, and you go off to Kat's.

Mel: Noooooooo, I'm staying here and gathering some more fics to post tomorrow morning with this one!

Tsuru: Oi….


End file.
